Diego Giacometti

Pierre Berès, Paris

Christie's Paris, Pierre Berès à livre ouvert, December 13, 2012, lot 602

Galerie Vallois, Paris, acquired from the above

Acquired from the above by the present owner, 2012

Daniel Marchasseau, Diego Giacometti, Paris, 1986, p. 186 (present lot illustrated)

Daniel Marchesseau, Diego Giacometti, sculpteur de meubles, Paris, 2018, p. 201 (present lot illustrated)

This rare plaster frame, signed and dated 1942 by Diego Giacometti, offers a unique glimpse into the early creative expression of an artist better known for his later bronze furnishings. Executed in plaster—a fragile and seldom-surviving medium—the frame carries not only the mark of the artist’s hand but the imprint of a significant historical moment. It once belonged to Pierre Berès, the legendary French bookseller, publisher, and collector, whose friendship with the Giacometti family provides a rich contextual backdrop for this intimate and poetic object.

Berès was a towering figure in 20th-century French cultural life—a connoisseur of rare manuscripts, an astute art collector, and a friend to many of the artists and writers who shaped the modernist canon including Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. His bookstore in Paris was a hub of intellectual activity, and his relationships with artists like Alberto and Diego Giacometti were rooted in cultural camaraderie. It’s notable that Alberto dedicated a still-life painting, Pommes, to Berès—a quiet but telling sign of the closeness between them. In this context, the frame becomes not just a decorative object, but a trace of that shared world, shaped by war, dialogue, and aesthetic inquiry.

The plaster frame is modest in scale but extraordinary in presence. A rare survival of Giacometti’s early use of plaster, its surface bears the marks of hand-tooling, the asymmetry and texture that characterize his tactile approach to form. While simple in construction, it is sculptural in effect, transforming the function of “framing” into an act of artistic elevation. The frame becomes not just a support, but an object worthy of contemplation in its own right—an idea Diego would carry forward in his later furniture.

The present offering stands as a meaningful statement of Giacometti’s early work. It captures a moment of artistic growth and personal connection, shaped by the close ties between Giacometti and Berès. Modest in size but rich in evocative character, the frame shows Giacometti’s instinct for turning everyday objects into something thoughtful and unique. With its textured surface and handmade feel, it reflects a time when creativity and friendship often went hand in hand. Today, it serves not just as a decorative object, but as a rare survival of one of Giacometti’s early, singular works.